The Impact of a Nurse on Society

A nurse does not affect just one individual, they can influence a community. Throughout many researches the rate of individuals becoming unvaccinated is increasing every year, this is an issue because there have been vaccine-preventable infections that affect our community, if enough people get sick, it can lead to an outbreak. However, if enough people are vaccinated against a certain disease, the germs cannotVaccine spread as much and the entire community is less likely to get the disease. The role of a nurse is very crucial when it comes to mediating the choices of pro or anti vaccinations which affects the community.

Influences on Health Care

The goal of the article is to promote childhood immunizations, it states that immunization is perhaps the single most beneficial public health measure of the 20th century. (Anderson, 2015) Therefore, the article reflects a primary level prevention. Primary prevention aims to prevent disease before it occurs, it can be targeted at individuals or for a whole community. A successful primary prevention requires that we know at least one modifiable risk factor, and have a way to modify it, this article centers on factors that affect immunization rates and provide ways we can improve it.

Nursing Implications

The article shows implications for the nursing profession on the issue of vaccination. Nurses can improve vaccination rates by developing a trusting relationship with parents. Trust includes the nurse remaining ethical. For example, if a parent is wondering what are the potential side effects of vaccination a nurse should not only know about positive effects of vaccines but should also inform the parent of the negative effects such as pain or fever, or “flu-like” symptoms and also, very uncommon side effects, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome. (Anderson, 2015) it is the nurse’s role to ensure and maintain the patient’s safety as a priority, therefore an important factor in a trusting relationship is being ethical. Another implication to reduce the concerns and questions a parent might have against vaccinations is for the nurse to be armed with information based on sound clinical evidence. (Anderson, 2015). Many parents are hesitant to give their child a vaccine because of the stigma vaccines carry such as causing autism. A nurse must be prepared to answer hard questions relating to their concerns. Research has proved autism is not associated with thiomersal-containing vaccines or the MMR. Diagnosis of autism often occurs around age 2 years and, coincidentally, the MMR vaccine is given at around 12 to 18 months. (Anderson, 2015).

The current article also presents information that can be widely used by the consumer or in this case the parents. An important implication is for the parent to be educated about vaccinations. Many parents concern is that they are unsure of what ingredients are in vaccinations. Researching is a helpful tool in knowing what is best for their child. Being educated can help them decide if they choose to vaccinate. If their child has had a severe, life-threatening allergic response to a type of food, such as eggs, gelatin, or yeast, or an antibiotic, such as neomycin, or latex, the child may not be eligible for some vaccines. Another concern is that parents are worried that their child is receiving too many vaccines at a young age and are will not be able to adhere to the immunization schedule. A great implication in todays medical world is that many vaccinations are combined for the same full affect as giving vaccines individually. Combination vaccines are invented to limit the number of needle injections a baby will be given, to ensure protection as soon as possible, and to overall reduce the cost and inconvenience of vaccines. Combination vaccines are safe because they undergo clinical testing for efficacy and safety before licensing by the FDA. (Anderson, 2015). Evidence showed that implementing community?based multiple interventions which included client reminders and using the media and educational activities by implementing vaccination programs in schools and child care centers to educate, track status, and refer under?immunized children to providers all improved immunization rates.

Conclusion

As the rate of children getting sick are increasing and infections are spreading, it is important that children must be vaccinated in order to prevent outbreaks. A nurse plays an important role in that aspect by maintaining a trusting relationship with parents and also being educated on the latest research in order to answer a parent concerns for their child. Therefore, a nurse does not just affect one individual they can affect a whole community. 

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